"play in a more contemporary context, away from the immediate historical context of its original period. Major Barbara Major Barbara is a three-act English play by George Bernard Shaw, written and premiered in 1905 and first published in 1907. The story concerns an idealistic young woman, Barbara Undershaft, who is engaged in helping the poor as a Major in the Salvation Army in London. For many years, Barbara and her siblings have been estranged from their father, Andrew Undershaft, who now reappears as a rich and successful munitions maker. Undershaft, the father, gives money to the Salvation Army, which offends"
"1909. Shaw admired other figures in the Irish Literary Revival, including George Russell and James Joyce, and was a close friend of Seán O'Casey, who was inspired to become a playwright after reading ""John Bull's Other Island"". ""Man and Superman"", completed in 1902, was a success both at the Royal Court in 1905 and in Robert Loraine's New York production in the same year. Among the other Shaw works presented by Vedrenne and Granville-Barker were ""Major Barbara"" (1905), depicting the contrasting morality of arms manufacturers and the Salvation Army; ""The Doctor's Dilemma"" (1906), a mostly serious piece about professional ethics;"
"Eleanor Robson Belmont Eleanor Robson Belmont (13 December 1879 – 24 October 1979) was an English actress and prominent public figure in the United States. George Bernard Shaw wrote ""Major Barbara"" for her, but contractual problems prevented her from playing the role. Mrs. Belmont was involved in the Metropolitan Opera Association as the first woman on the board of directors, and she founded the Metropolitan Opera Guild. She was born on 13 December 1879 in Wigan, Lancashire to Madge Carr Cook and Charles Robson, and moved to the United States as a young girl. Her stage career began at age"
"poignantly, an unfinished letter to her was found on Gilbert's body after the accident. Gilbert Murray George Gilbert Aimé Murray, (2 January 1866 – 20 May 1957) was an Australian-born British classical scholar and public intellectual, with connections in many spheres. He was an outstanding scholar of the language and culture of Ancient Greece, perhaps the leading authority in the first half of the twentieth century. He is the basis for the character of Adolphus Cusins in his friend George Bernard Shaw's play ""Major Barbara"", and also appears as the chorus figure in Tony Harrison's play ""Fram"". Murray was born"
"Theatre under the management of J.E. Vedrenne and Harley Granville-Barker. At the same theatre, and under the same management, he appeared in Shaw's ""You Never Can Tell"" in 1905, and created the role of Andrew Undershaft in ""Major Barbara"" in November 1905. Calvert also appeared in the silent film ""David Garrick"" (1911) Calvert frequently toured the United States, and in 1909 he was appointed as the actor-manager of the New Theatre in New York, where his responsibilities were to direct and star in productions of English plays, and especially the works of William Shakespeare with a company made up of"
"Barbarians (play) Barbarians () is a 1906 play by Maxim Gorky. It was written in the summer of 1905 in Kuokkala and first published by the 1906 Znaniye Collection. It came out as a separate edition via the Ditz Publishers. The quiet life in Verkhpolye, a small provincial town, is disturbed by the arrival of the team of railroad constructors, among them engineers Cherkun and Tsyganov. The old order, set by the town's mayor Redozubov, had been described as 'patriarchal barbarism', but it soon becomes clear that the cynical, amoral newcomers who claim to be 'heralds of civilization', bring in"
"George Bernard Shaw George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950), known at his insistence simply as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from the 1880s to his death and beyond. He wrote more than sixty plays, including major works such as ""Man and Superman"" (1902), ""Pygmalion"" (1912)"" and Saint Joan"" (1923). With a range incorporating both contemporary satire and historical allegory, Shaw became the leading dramatist of his generation, and in 1925 was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. Born in Dublin, Shaw"
"British and American actors. The first play staged was ""Antony and Cleopatra"" in November 1909 and starring E. H. Sothern and Julia Marlowe. The production was not a success; nor was the next production, ""Twelfth Night"" in January 1910. However, Calvert returned to his theatrical roots with his staging of ""A Winter's Tale"" in March 1910 which was a success largely due to his use of ensemble acting and Elizabethan staging. He directed ""Major Barbara"" at the Playhouse Theatre in New York City in 1915, and an Elizabethan-style version of ""The Tempest"" for the Shakespeare tercentenary in 1916. Calvert spent"
"Gilbert Murray George Gilbert Aimé Murray, (2 January 1866 – 20 May 1957) was an Australian-born British classical scholar and public intellectual, with connections in many spheres. He was an outstanding scholar of the language and culture of Ancient Greece, perhaps the leading authority in the first half of the twentieth century. He is the basis for the character of Adolphus Cusins in his friend George Bernard Shaw's play ""Major Barbara"", and also appears as the chorus figure in Tony Harrison's play ""Fram"". Murray was born in Sydney, Australia. His father, Sir Terence Aubrey Murray, who died in 1873, had"
"Vasilyeostrovsky theatres. In a 1907 letter to Nikolai Krasov, the director of the Petersburgski Theatre (where the play premiered on 4 February, 1908) Gorky recommended ""Enemies"" for production, but added, that should ""Barbarians"" be chosen, ""...The Monakhova character demands special attention. She sincerely believes in some kind of grandiose, fiery, pure love and in the hero who'd be worthy of such love."" Barbarians (play) Barbarians () is a 1906 play by Maxim Gorky. It was written in the summer of 1905 in Kuokkala and first published by the 1906 Znaniye Collection. It came out as a separate edition via the"
"in lectures and articles in the ten years following the writing of his 1905 play on poverty and power, ""Major Barbara"", at the same time as his Fabian colleague Beatrice Webb as primary author of the 1909 Minority Report on the Poor Law, along with her husband Sidney Webb, was proposing to abolish poverty in industrial societies by introducing what we now call the welfare state. In the 1907 preface to ""Major Barbara"", Shaw was probably the first to argue for what he called ""Universal Pensions for Life"", now known as universal incomes. Following major lectures on equality in 1910"
"""Sophie Monnier"" (1884), ""Cisarine"" (1888), ""L'Aîné"" (1893), ""Grandes amoureuses"" (1896) and ""La Gibasse"" (1899), and the more simple portrayal of life in ""Miarka"" (1883), ""Les Braves Gens"" (1886), ""Truandailles"" (1890), ""La Miseloque"" (1892) and ""Flamboche"" (1895). His plays, though occasionally marred by his characteristic propensity for dramatic violence of thought and language, constitute in many respects his best work. During the 1880s he had an affair with Sarah Bernhardt, the greatest actress of the time. Most of these were produced at the ""Comédie française"". He also wrote ""Miarka"" (1905), adapted from his novel, for the music of Alexandre Georges, and"
"of fire, knives and hammers. The blow of mercy comes when Barbara is beheaded by her own father. Buhez Sante Barba Buhez Sante Barba (""The Life of Saint Barbara"") is a mystery play in Middle Breton verse on the life and miracles of the martyr saint Barbara, daughter of King Dioscurus of Nicomedia. It first appeared in print in 1557. Barbara, who has secretly embraced the Christian faith, is carefully guarded by her pagan father, who keeps her shut up in a tower in order to preserve her from the outside world. Barbara convinces the builders of her prison to"
"twentieth century his reputation as a dramatist was secured with a series of critical and popular successes that included ""Major Barbara"", ""The Doctor's Dilemma"" and ""Caesar and Cleopatra"". Shaw's expressed views were often contentious; he promoted eugenics and alphabet reform, and opposed vaccination and organised religion. He courted unpopularity by denouncing both sides in the First World War as equally culpable, and although not a republican, castigated British policy on Ireland in the postwar period. These stances had no lasting effect on his standing or productivity as a dramatist; the inter-war years saw a series of often ambitious plays, which"
"evolution in a combination of drama and associated printed text. ""The Admirable Bashville"" (1901), a blank verse dramatisation of Shaw's novel ""Cashel Byron's Profession"", focuses on the imperial relationship between Britain and Africa. ""John Bull's Other Island"" (1904), comically depicting the prevailing relationship between Britain and Ireland, was popular at the time but fell out of the general repertoire in later years. ""Major Barbara"" (1905) presents ethical questions in an unconventional way, confounding expectations that in the depiction of an armaments manufacturer on the one hand and the Salvation Army on the other the moral high ground must invariably be"
"Barbara Brown (American actress) Barbara Ann Brown (October 18, 1901 – July 7, 1975) was an American actress. Barbara Brown was born in 1901 in Los Angeles, California, to Selma C. (née Teutschmann; 1874–1947) and Edward Brown. Her mother was the daughter of German immigrants. Brown began acting on the stage in California. In 1922, she had leading roles in Oliver Morosco's productions ""Wait Till We're Married"" and ""Abie's Irish Rose"". She went on to act in Broadway plays such as ""Relations"" (1928), ""Mother Lode"" (1934), ""Play, Genius, Play!"" (1935), ""Behind Red Lights"" (1937), ""Sun Kissed"" (1937), ""Our Town"" (1938),"
"be found. Dorothy's father was John Brunton (c. 1848– 22 July 1909), born in Scotland. Barbara's grandfather James Gibb ( –c. 1949) married Mary Brunton ( –1952) on 4 July 1891. Barbara's father James Gibb (13 January 1897 – 28 June 1968) changed his name to James Brunton Gibb before he married Ethel Isabel Lang (1902 – November 1995) on 1 September 1923. Dorothy Brunton Christine Dorothy Brunton (11 October 1890 – 5 June 1977), (some sources have ""Christina"") generally known as Dorothy Brunton or ""Dot"" was an Australian singer and actress prominent in musical comedy from 1915 to the"
"Dorothy Minto Dorothy Minto (ca. 21 February 1886 – 6 December 1957) was a prominent actor on the London stage between 1905 and the mid-1930s, notably appearing in the first runs of several plays written by George Bernard Shaw. She also featured in a small number of films between 1916 and 1936. While her early stage career concentrated on classical plays and serious new work, from 1912 onwards she devoted herself more to musicals and comedies. Many references to Dorothy Minto state or imply that she was born in 1891 (for instance, her entry in ""Who's Who in the Theatre"","
"Buhez Sante Barba Buhez Sante Barba (""The Life of Saint Barbara"") is a mystery play in Middle Breton verse on the life and miracles of the martyr saint Barbara, daughter of King Dioscurus of Nicomedia. It first appeared in print in 1557. Barbara, who has secretly embraced the Christian faith, is carefully guarded by her pagan father, who keeps her shut up in a tower in order to preserve her from the outside world. Barbara convinces the builders of her prison to put in three rather than two windows. When her father finally learns that the three windows are intended"
"La Tosca La Tosca is a five-act drama by the 19th-century French playwright Victorien Sardou. It was first performed on 24 November 1887 at the Théâtre de la Porte Saint-Martin in Paris, with Sarah Bernhardt in the title role. Despite negative reviews from the Paris critics at the opening night, it became one of Sardou's most successful plays and was toured by Bernhardt throughout the world in the years following its premiere. The play itself is no longer performed, but its operatic adaptation, Giacomo Puccini's ""Tosca"", has achieved enduring popularity. There have been several other adaptations of the play including"
"John Hankin's ""The Two Mr Wetherbys"", the second act of Sheridan's The Critic, and Ibsen's ""John Gabriel Borkman"". Among the plays McMahon produced from 1911–1917 were ""Candida"", ""Getting Married"", ""Major Barbara"", ""The Doctor's Dilemma"", ""Man and Superman"", ""Fanny's First Play"", ""You Never Can Tell"", and ""Pygmalion"", all by George Bernard Shaw; ""Rosmersholm"" and ""An Enemy of the People"" by Henrik Ibsen; ""The Voysey Inheritance"" and ""The Madras House"" by Granville Barker; ""The Pigeon"", ""Strife"" and ""The Fugitive"" by Galsworthy; ""The Seagull"" by Anton Chekhov; ""The Mate"" by Arthur Schnitzler, and many other plays by leading dramatists of the period, including"
"Edna Ferber Edna Ferber (August 15, 1885 – April 16, 1968) was an American novelist, short story writer and playwright. Her novels included the Pulitzer Prize-winning ""So Big"" (1924), ""Show Boat"" (1926; made into the celebrated 1927 musical), ""Cimarron"" (1929; made into the 1931 film which won the Academy Award for Best Picture), ""Giant"" (1952; made into the 1956 Hollywood movie) and ""Ice Palace"" (1958), filmed in 1960. Ferber was born August 15, 1885, in Kalamazoo, Michigan, to a Hungarian-born Jewish storekeeper, Jacob Charles Ferber, and his Milwaukee, Wisconsin-born wife, Julia (Neumann) Ferber, who was of German Jewish descent. After"
"inspired by anarchist politics, particularly evident in Jean Roule's speeches, yet it neither presents itself as propaganda nor offers a solution to the social question. Les Mauvais Bergers Les Mauvais Bergers (The Bad Shepherds) is a modern tragedy, in five acts, by the French journalist, novelist and playwright Octave Mirbeau, performed in December 1897 on the stage of Théâtre de la Renaissance, in Paris, then published by Charpentier-Fasquelle in March 1898. The main parts were played by the two most famous French actors at the time: Sarah Bernhardt, as Madeleine, and Lucien Guitry, as Jean Roule. The play has not"
"(1883–92); the later plays of the Swedish dramatist August Strindberg (1849–1912), including the trilogy ""To Damascus"" 1898–1901, ""A Dream Play"" (1902), ""The Ghost Sonata"" (1907); Frank Wedekind (1864–1918), especially the ""Lulu"" plays ""Erdgeist"" (""Earth Spirit"") (1895) and ""Die Büchse der Pandora"" (""Pandora's Box"") (1904); the American poet Walt Whitman's (1819–92) ""Leaves of Grass"" (1855–91); the Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoevsky (1821–81); Norwegian painter Edvard Munch (1863–1944); Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh (1853–90); Belgian painter James Ensor (1860–1949); and pioneering Austrian psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud (1856–1939). In 1905, a group of four German artists, led by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, formed Die Brücke (the"
"comedies, the plot was nearly eliminated during rehearsals. During this time, Barrington often reprised his role as the Judge at benefit matinees. Also during this period, several of Barrington's stage works were produced by Arthur Bourchier at the Garrick Theatre, including Barrington's popular children's ""fairy play"" called ""Water Babies"", based on Charles Kingsley's 1863 book, with music by Frederick Rosse, Albert Fox and Alfred Cellier (1902). Barrington directed ""Water Babies"". Another Barrington play, ""Little Black Sambo and Little White Barbara"", with music by Wilfred Bendall, enjoyed 31 matinees at the Garrick in 1904. Barrington appeared between 1905 and 1907 in"
"The Burglar and the Lady The Burglar and the Lady is a play written by Langdon McCormick. Like many of McCormick's plays, it was primarily a touring show and first premiered on October 1, 1905, at the State Street Theatre in Trenton, New Jersey. It came to Broadway in September 1906, appearing for a week at the American Theatre. The story pitted Sherlock Holmes, the famous fictional detective created by Arthur Conan Doyle, against A. J. Raffles, a fictional criminal created by E. W. Hornung. McCormick did not bother to ask permission for the use of either character. Former boxer"
"writing for the stage was influenced by Henrik Ibsen. His early political plays were not popular, but he made a breakthrough with ""John Bull's Other Island"" (1904). Shaw was extremely prolific, and his collected writings filled 36 volumes. Many of his plays are now forgotten, but a number, including ""Major Barbara"", ""Saint Joan"" (usually considered his masterpiece) and ""Pygmalion "" are still regularly performed. ""Pygmalion "" was the basis for the movie ""My Fair Lady"", a fact which benefitted the National Gallery of Ireland as Shaw had left the royalties of the play to the gallery. A statue to the"
"The Philanderer The Philanderer is a play by George Bernard Shaw. It was written in 1893 but the strict British Censorship laws at the time meant that it was not produced on stage until 1902. It is one of the three plays Shaw published as ""Plays Unpleasant"" in 1898, alongside ""Widowers' Houses"" and ""Mrs Warren's Profession"". The volume was written to raise awareness of social problems and criticize capitalist behaviour. The influence of Naturalist playwrights is evident by Shaw's constant reference to Ibsen in the play. The Naturalist theatre movement was a reaction to Melodrama, the Victorian theatre tradition of"
"The Playboy of the Western World (1907). (John Millington Synge 985). George Bernard Shaw was another famous playwright of the Victorian era. He wrote more than sixty plays. His plays were mostly about social problems such as education, religion, marriage, and class privileges. Arms and the Man and You Can Never Tell are his famous plays. Dion Boucicault was another famous playwright of the Victorian era. His famous plays include The Colleen Bawn, and The Shaughraun. <Nicoll Allardyce. “The Audience”. The History Of Late Nineteenth Century Drama. Cambridge: University Press, 1949 7-26, Print> <Nicoll Allardyce. “The Theatre”. The History Of"
"and ran for 155 performances in the West End. Frederick Lonsdale Frederick Lonsdale (5 February 1881 – 4 April 1954) was an English playwright known for his librettos to several successful musicals early in the 20th century, including ""King of Cadonia"" (1908), ""The Balkan Princess"" (1910), ""Betty"" (1915), ""The Maid of the Mountains"" (1917), ""Monsieur Beaucaire"" (1919) and ""Madame Pompadour"" (1923). He also wrote comedy plays, including ""The Last of Mrs. Cheyney"" (1925) and ""On Approval"" (1927) and the murder melodrama ""But for the Grace of God"" (1946). Some of his plays and musicals were made into films, and he"
"main part of the chapel by a grille. La Tosca La Tosca is a five-act drama by the 19th-century French playwright Victorien Sardou. It was first performed on 24 November 1887 at the Théâtre de la Porte Saint-Martin in Paris, with Sarah Bernhardt in the title role. Despite negative reviews from the Paris critics at the opening night, it became one of Sardou's most successful plays and was toured by Bernhardt throughout the world in the years following its premiere. The play itself is no longer performed, but its operatic adaptation, Giacomo Puccini's ""Tosca"", has achieved enduring popularity. There have"
"Barbara Frietchie Barbara Frietchie, The Frederick Girl is a play in four acts by Clyde Fitch and based on the heroine of John Greenleaf Whittier's poem ""Barbara Frietchie"" (based on a real person: Barbara Fritchie). Fitch takes a good bit of artistic liberty and intertwines her story with that of his own grandparents' love story, which also takes place during the Civil War. Barbara Stanwyck took her film name from the name of the play, and a British actress named Joan Stanwyck who starred in one of the play's productions, perhaps in London. An illustrated version of the poem is"
"The House of Bernarda Alba The House of Bernarda Alba () is a play by the Spanish dramatist Federico García Lorca. Commentators have often grouped it with ""Blood Wedding"" and ""Yerma"" as a ""rural trilogy"". Lorca did not include it in his plan for a ""trilogy of the Spanish land"" (which remained unfinished at the time of his murder). Lorca described the play in its subtitle as ""a drama of women in the villages of Spain"". ""The House of Bernarda Alba"" was Lorca's last play, completed on 19 June 1936, two months before Lorca's death during the Spanish Civil War."